Small yard cheapest is $20-30/cut. Half acre to acre will run $45-75/cut, includes wacking your weeds.
OT - Lawnmower Recommendation
- Thread starter NickRU714
- Start date
I live in a neighborhood where the lots are about the same size as yours. When I moved in 20-some years ago, everyone mowed their lawns with push or self-propelled mowers.
I bought a Honda self-propelled mower. Absolutely hated it. I felt the self-propelled feature was pulling me around the yard. It was awkward to turn, and awkward to slow down or speed up. It took me two hours to mow the entire lawn. And if I couldn't get out there twice a week in the spring, when the grass grows quickly, the grass would be too high for it to handle. That was just too much of a time commitment for me at the time.
One spring, about 2 years after I moved into the house, I was away on a business trip, came home and struggled cutting the high grass. I asked the landscaper mowing the lawn next door how much he would charge me to finish the job, and hired him on the spot.
I used the landscaper for about 5 years until he got out of the business. By that point just about everyone in my neighborhood had stopped using walk-behind mowers. Almost everyone either had a landscaper or riding mower. I borrowed my neighbor's John Deere riding mower, and decided I liked it, so I bought one. I've been using it ever since.
Go out and buy whatever walk-behind mower you want. It doesn't make too much difference. As a 30 year old with a one-third acre lot in New Providence, within 5 years you will either have a landscaper or a riding mower.
Why with an engine at all.Get a reel type push mower. That way you can give up your gym membership and save the money.Why self propelled? Unless it's hilly or uneven terrain a push should be fine for that size of lawn. Nice exercise for you.
Get a 3-1 with a mulching blade, big rear wheels and the widest deck 22" (as @Knight Shift said) you can find. Don't bag.
Something that looks like one of these...
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In my area landscapers charge between $35 to $50 per cut, not including chemicals, or extras like bush trimming, etc
A lot of landscapers will paste you for fertilizer, weed killer,etc... So the monthly bill can really vary.... I get a lawn cut once a week, and handle the hedge/bushes myself..... Snow blow myself, I actually enjoy that.
I get the appeal of a landscaper, but a riding mower for a 1/3 acre?
Have about 20 years of experience mowing lawns myself and have nothing but good things to say about the self-propelled Honda and Craftsman I've used, both on hills and flats. Think the OP is on the money.
To cover all bases get a Scott's s manual push mower with the grass catcher and see how you feel after mowing. No settings, rotary blades just some 4 in one oil every so often. I used it on my house, 75' x 150', but only once. Great for putting my wife's s initials in the front lawn.
Got a 3.75 hp next, still have it , but don't use it. Now have a Sears self propelled, electric start and get it serviced annually. Works great and I bag the clippings, but it can mulch too. Just choose one with enough HP, my present one is 6.75 and they might be bigger now. Electric start is good, but must be recharged periodically for 24 hrs.
If your neighbor has a lawn service, than the grass is really greener on the other side !
Got a 3.75 hp next, still have it , but don't use it. Now have a Sears self propelled, electric start and get it serviced annually. Works great and I bag the clippings, but it can mulch too. Just choose one with enough HP, my present one is 6.75 and they might be bigger now. Electric start is good, but must be recharged periodically for 24 hrs.
If your neighbor has a lawn service, than the grass is really greener on the other side !
Spoiled SOB. Real men go old schooler:
One of my trippiest memories from RU was walking out of my rental to see my landlord's short, very Italian father using one of these suckers to cut our front lawn.
My 40 year old next door neighbor makes me laugh when it comes to mowing lawns..... He bought one at Sears, I guess with their name on it, about 8 years ago..... He leaves it outside, uncovered all year round, then fills it with gas from last year, maybe older, that of course had no stabilizer.....
And the damn thing starts on the first gentle pull for him, every time.....
And the damn thing starts on the first gentle pull for him, every time.....
If you're busy with young kids and a crazy commute, consider hiring it out if you can afford it. The extra 2 hours a weekend can be critical when you're juggling birthday parties, weddings, nights out, vacations, long weekends, sporting events, kids extra curriculars, etc.
I hire it out and still feel like I'm in perpetual motion.
I hire it out and still feel like I'm in perpetual motion.
Many lawn nuts I know have and love the Honda 217 series. That would be fine for a third of an acre ( I know a couple people that use it for an acre). It sort of depends on if you like cutting the grass and have time. Personally I enjoy cutting the lawn--sort of like a zen thing. While I have a John Deere rider, I recently bought an Exmark 30" and now use that almost exclusively. It's not cheap but does a great cut and the 30" works better for my yard (1.2 acre lot but only 28,000 sq ft is mowed).
The John Deere D100 series is designed for lawns starting at 1/3 acre. Cub Cadet and Sears have riding mowers for lawns starting at 1/4 acre.
Yes, my 1/3 acre is at the small end for a riding mower. But it was taking me about 2 hours to mow the lawn with my self-propelled Honda, and it struggled with high grass. My riding mower cuts the lawn in a little over 30 minutes, and doesn't care how high the grass is.
Like I said, 20-some years ago, when everyone moved into my neighborhood, we all got walk-behind mowers. Today, almost everyone has a riding mower or landscaper.
I'm not doubting that companies will try to get you to overspend on a riding mower for your small lawn; I'm questioning whether it's worthwhile to do so. OP didn't think so, and I agree.
You have some weird obstacles or something? Used to take me an hour to mow a relatively straightforward 1/2 acre with a self-propelled Honda when I was a teenager. Takes me a little less to do a 1/4 acre with numerous ups and downs, boulders on many edges and four hell strips. A riding mower would definitely be a wasted investment for me, but to each his own.
You have some weird obstacles or something? Used to take me an hour to mow a relatively straightforward 1/2 acre with a self-propelled Honda when I was a teenager. Takes me a little less to do a 1/4 acre with numerous ups and downs, boulders on many edges and four hell strips. A riding mower would definitely be a wasted investment for me, but to each his own.
got two 22"... a craftsman that was about to die but with some elbow grease fixed it up, push side eject shoot on it... and a toro(also with a briggs and strat engine) FWD self propelled... i'm a mechanic so this setup makes me happier than a pig in ****!
In May of 2016 Consumer Reports ranked the top mowers, in the self propelled class Honda mowers had 6 out of the top 7 rated mowers. If you decide to buy a Honda buy it at Home Depot as they are $100 cheaper, for the same model, than Honda dealers.
One thing about the Hondas sold at Home Depot and Lowes, the prices are lower than in a store that sells to professional lawn contractors (like NEC in Cedar Grove) because the models sold there are a slightly inferior to the better ones sold to the professional contractors. Compare the model numbers.
I swear by my Troy Bilt Flex.
I wanted a zero turn mower like a landscaper, but wasn't going to pay $1500+ for it...
When the Troy Bilt goes on sale you can get the engine + mower for like $800...Works great, as long as you don't leave the grass too long...
Then I bought the snow blower attachment which I needed, and paid like $400 for it, if yo know snow blower prices, you know how much money I saved....
Then I bought the leaf blower attachment because it went on sale for like a $100 or something like that, and blew the leaves off my year in 20 minutes, what a great deal...
here's a pic of the system:
I wanted a zero turn mower like a landscaper, but wasn't going to pay $1500+ for it...
When the Troy Bilt goes on sale you can get the engine + mower for like $800...Works great, as long as you don't leave the grass too long...
Then I bought the snow blower attachment which I needed, and paid like $400 for it, if yo know snow blower prices, you know how much money I saved....
Then I bought the leaf blower attachment because it went on sale for like a $100 or something like that, and blew the leaves off my year in 20 minutes, what a great deal...
here's a pic of the system:
About 15 years ago i bought from a landscaper a commercial walk behind Billy goat mower 33" 13 hp for my half acre. I can cut my grass in less than an hour. I mulch into the lawn all my clippings and all my leaves in the fall. We have not raked in years .
I also have ECHO gas blower and a ryboi weed whacker. I love doing my lawn its one to two hours of making my home look neat and clean, saves me money and i get some exercise.
I snowblow my own driveway too..... I don't like to call the man fr stuff like this .
I also have ECHO gas blower and a ryboi weed whacker. I love doing my lawn its one to two hours of making my home look neat and clean, saves me money and i get some exercise.
I snowblow my own driveway too..... I don't like to call the man fr stuff like this .
I have been a craftsman guy. Bought the second out of loyalty to how well the first one treated me. While the second still always starts on the second pull, I am less happy with the durability and cutting performance. I also make a mistake trying to save a few bucks by going with a 21 inch cutting deck versus 22. If you have a decent size lawn it makes a difference. If you can afford a Honda it probably the way to go.
If your getting a walk behind get a Toro self propelled. They have various speeds so you are being pulled for a ride.
As far as prices I get anywhere from 30 to 60 depending on the size, obstacles etc. A 1/3 property should run you from 35 to 40.
As far as prices I get anywhere from 30 to 60 depending on the size, obstacles etc. A 1/3 property should run you from 35 to 40.
Where do you live?
Western Monmouth. .89 acre (but I have a pool). Corner lot (so about 280 linear feet of sidewalk to edge). I pay $37.50 a week. Cuts are from 3rd week of march until week before Thanksgiving.
Rumson. But I have rental properties in Wall and Belmar. Maybe I should get new quotes.
Rumson? You're rich you can afford 70 a week...haha
My guy is to the lower end, is certainly not out there with a pair of scissors, but he does the basics well.
US Grounds is popular in my hood and the quoted me $52 for the same job. But they are meticulous. Trades off and all that jazz...
Rumson- I cut my own. We are not all on 5-10 acre estates here. I am the scourge of my neighborhood. Actually, my 15 year old son cuts the lawn. He does not mind, and appreciates the 35 or 40 bucks we give him. Gave him a less on the chain saw when we had a huge tree limb fall in our yard, and he was a bit freaked out. I was using chainsaws at 12 or 13 years old. Kids today are missing so much fun.
I cut mine the first year we were here. With a Craftsman pusher with a Honda engine. I'm not gonna lie, it was a PITA.
My kids are at an age where they are too young to do it and old enough that their sports and activities require my attention. So I pay. I can envision a time when I have them do it for a few years...just because.
What's the point of having teenage kids if you aren't going to have them do chores around the house. When your kids are old enough to do yardwork, cancel your landscaper and have the kids do the work. It is your responsibility as a parent.
I have a Craftsman 21" walk behind which works fine until the grass gets high. Then it's a nightmare. My father in law and his buddy trash picked an old rider and got it going as a little project, and he gave it to me. It's faster, but the turning radius is awful and it doesn't mulch as well as I'd like. I have to replace the blade.
My point is that you get what you pay for. Even though I only have about .4 acres, I'll probably invest in something nice next time.
My point is that you get what you pay for. Even though I only have about .4 acres, I'll probably invest in something nice next time.
ummm...that's what I said
And nobody has ever questioned my parenting skills when it comes to making my kids work hard. I might not be perfect, but that one is pretty well covered.
My sons are 8 and 5. We're not exactly in 1847 and I'm gonna send them out to the back 40 with a sythe.
I think you will find yourself in the minority with that mindset.
I sometimes thought my neighbors were going to call DYFS when I had my son mowing our lawn at 13 years old.
I would not leave my 15 (soon to be 16) year old kid alone with a chainsaw, but I guess times have changed. LOL.
I used tie do that. I have about 18k square feet of lawn. Used to take me 2.5 to 3 hours to cut my lawn so I invested in a 32" walk behind. Cut it to 1hour on the nose. Don't miss those days. I think OP can get by with a nice 6.5 horse Briggs 22" Craftsman just fine. Will run you around 300
I was at a bit over an hour with a 21" honda for my lot. Bought a used exmark 52" hydro walkbehind off craigslist from a local landscaper and haven't looked back. Now at about 25 min a cut. Can cut on my own time line and lawn always looks good.
If you think the lawn is going to take you around an hour you might want to look at something bigger than 21" IMO. I enjoy doing the lawn so I'm not interested in a lawn service but at the same time I didn't want to spends hours on it each week.
If you think the lawn is going to take you around an hour you might want to look at something bigger than 21" IMO. I enjoy doing the lawn so I'm not interested in a lawn service but at the same time I didn't want to spends hours on it each week.
Around 1990, I bought some POS lawn mower at a Home Depot (I think). I was rushed and hadn't done my usual pre-purchase research, so I just grabbed the cheapest lawnmower I could find that was reasonably wide.
I never once changed the oil in it. Would regularly leave gas in it over the winter, never did the slightest maintenance on it. It was just a stop gap measure until I researched a "good" mower.
It did have a Briggs and Stratton engine, but the brand name was something I don't even think is around anymore - I'd never heard of it before I bought it; in any event, I can't remember the name. Wasn't one of the big brands.
Anyway, that POS mower lasted until about 5 years ago. Never failed to start once. Every spring, started right up. I finally got rid of it because my kid ran something over in the yard (a rock or something) and it started to sound "wobbly"; didn't want the blade to fly off while he was using it. Still started right up though.
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I started with a landscaper when I went into business for myself...... I just did not want to set aside the time anymore, and from that point, never went back to it, even in retirement..... I will admit a landscaper makes it look better than I ever did because they edge better, and generally pay more attention to the details.... I know some here probably do as good a job as a landscaper
I don't understand the complaints about self propelled, however..... Don't they have several speeds, so if you have it in first, like a snowblower, it moves along at a slow comfortable speed?
If you buy a mower for less than $200, you can probably get away with simply putting gas in it until it falls apart. Should last you at least 3 seasons at which point you can get another $200 one.
This strategy probably won't work on lawns greater than 1/3 acre because of the hours you'll be logging on a cheap machine.
This strategy probably won't work on lawns greater than 1/3 acre because of the hours you'll be logging on a cheap machine.
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Good story, and it is amazing when stuff like that works out..... I did have a similar good fortune purchase when I bought a pool cleaning product called a "pool buster" about 12 years ago...... Basically it is an electric, rechargeable battery, hand held vacuum for cleaning pools..
.. I mishandled it at the end of last season, so it did not work properly, and bought a new one, the battery in it still took a full charge, however........ I told the girl on the phone that I had it at least 12 years and she did not believe me because the average life of the battery is about 4 years... Not only that, I found out, reading the Manual for the first time, I never did the little things I should have been doing, all along, to keep the battery at its best.
So now I have a brandy new one and I will do all the proper Things in the book, and it will probably last four years....
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I was just reiterating what you said for the benefit of others. The philosophy of requiring teenagers to work around the house does not seem to be supported by many parents in affluent NJ suburbs (see KnightShift's comment below yours). My comment isn't just a "hard work is good for kids" mindset, it is part of teaching kids skills they'll need as adults. It is teaching them how to accept responsibilities. It is teaching them how to use power equipment safely. It is teaching them to be productive.